Lasting device



L. G. MILLER LAS'I'ING DEVICE Oct. 5, 1948.

Filed May 17, 1946 2 Sheets-Shee t 1 Inventor LZo ya G-Mz'ZZer h Oct. 5, 1948. e. MILLER LASTING DEVICE Filed May 17, 1946 .2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Invenfor Patented Oct. 5, 1948 LASTING DEVICE Lloyd G. Miller, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J a corporation of New Jersey Application May 17, 1946, Serial No. 670,505

16 Claims.

This invention relates to lasting devices and particularly to a device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe with adhesive.

In the lasting of certain types of shoes, for example, womens Littleway lasted shoes, it is a common practice in the trade to secure the upper in the shank portion of the shoe, i. e., from the breast line to, or just beyond the ball line to the ins-ole, with metallic fasteners, such as staples, and to use adhesive for securing the upper in the forepart from the ball line to the tip line. In following this procedure, the operator usually takes the shoe, the upper of which has been previously assembled and pulled over, spindles the upper by hand on the opposite sides of the shoe at the ball line and breast line respectively, and then lasts the shoe in its shank portion by means of a staple side-lasting machine of a type which is illustrated in United States Letters Patent No. 1,815,295, issued on July 21, 1931, in the name of George Goddu. The unlasted upper at th forepart, from the ball line to the tip line, or to the rearmost pulling-over tack, on the opposite sides of the shoe, is then laid over against the shoe bottom without any lasting stress being applied thereto and secured adhesively to the insole by means of hammer blows applied thereto. Inasmuch as the lasting stresses of the previous pulling-over and shank-lasting operations have, at least to some degree, extended to the forepart, no substantial amount of additional tensioning is required and the results of the above outlined procedure for lasting the forepart, while not entirely satisfactory, are acceptable to the trade. However, some looseness of the upper on the last will remain along the opposite sides of the shoe and the pounding of the upper, to secure it to the insole, will aggravate this condition,

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple and easily usable device by means of which the forepart of a shoe of the above-mentioned type may be lasted readily and quickly and in a more satisfactory manner. than by the procedure explained above. To this end, the herein illustrated'device, which is intended primarily for use in conjunction with a staple side-lasting machine, is provided with a gripper comprising a pair of jaws for taking hold of the lasting margin of the upper at theforepart with a frictional grip so that lasting stress may be applied thereto by moving the shoe away from the gripper, *and a heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper forlaying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper which extends substantially from the ball line to the tip line smoothly against the bottom of the shoe as the shoe is moved away from the gripper. Preferably, and as herein illustrated, the gripper is provided with a yielding closing means, adapted to be operated by the pressure of the shoe bottom thereagainst, so that the upper may be yieldingly seized, then tensioned, by movement of the shoe away from the gripper, and finally wiped smoothly over the shoe bottom, and secured thereto by the adhesive, as the movement of the shoe is continued.

The above and other objects and features of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation, with certain portions in section, of a device embodying the features of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1, but showing the positions of the parts'at a different stage in the operation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, but showing the position of the parts in a still different stage in the operation of the device;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a shoe which has been pulled over and lasted in the shank with staples prior to the lasting of its forepart; and

Fig, 5 is a plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1 with a portion of a shoe shown in broken lines and in the position assumed at the completion of the forepart-lasting operation.

Referring to the drawings, and especially Figs. 1 to 3 thereof, the reference character l0 indicates an overhanging portion of a support which may be of any suitable construction and adapted to be mounted on a bench or, if desired, attached to the frame of a staple side-lasting machine of the type illustrated in the above-mentioned Goddu patent. Secured to the lower side of the support 50, by means of screws [2, is a fixed wiper plate M the forward end of which is shaped to fit around the support and provided, at its mid-portion, with serrations, or teeth, I6, to form a gripper jaw it. Another gripper jaw 29, which is likewise provided with serrations, or teeth, 22, extends downwardly from a bifurcated hub 24 that is rotatably mounted on a shaft 26 carried by the support l0, see

Fig. 5. Also rotatably mounted on this shaft is a hub 28, positioned between the bifurcations of the hub 24, and from which extends a curved gripper-closing finger 36, a compression spring 32 being interposed between the finger 3b and the gripper jaw 20. A pin 40 is screwed into the hub 28 and a tension spring 42 is stretched between the support it.

this pin and another pin 44 that is secured to a cross member "46 of the support id. The hub 28 is formed with a hook portion 56 that is adapted to engage the jaw 20 and hold it away from the jaw I8 when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. l, the finger 30 being at this time swung in a clockwise direction, by th spring d2, until the pin iil engages a second cross member 52 of For heating the wiper plate M, an electrical heating unit, indicated by the reference character Gil, is positioned in back of and in direct contact with the Wiper plate. This unit may be of any desired type and suitable thermostatic controls, not shown, may be provided for regulating the temperature of the wiper plate. Preferably, the front edge of the Wiper plate 54 is curved, as indicated at 62, Fig. 5, so as to conform approximately to the contour of the shoe bottom at the forepart.

In using the device to last the forepart of a shoe, such for example as the shoe illustrated in Fig. 4, the upper U of which has been pulled over at the toe and secured by means of tacks t--t, and lasted in the shank portion with staples s-s, the unlasted portion of the upper at the forepart on one side of the shoe, indicated by the reference character F, is inserted between the open jaws f3 and 26 with these jaws centered approximately in a lengthwise direction with respect to the extent of the unlasted portion F, and with the shoe held by the operator so that its bottom is inclined downwardly toward the device, see Fig. l. The shoe is now lifted and swung somewhat in a counterclockwise direction to bring its bottom nearly parallel to the surface of the wiping plate l4. Such upward movement of the shoe will swing the finger 39 in a counterclockwise direction, and this movement of the finger 3 3 will, through the action of the compression spring 32, close the jaws l8 and yieldingly on the lasting margin of the upper, see Fig. 2. Now, as the shoe is moved inwardly away from the gripper and toward the device, in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2, the upper will be ten'sioned over the last L. At first, the shoe should be held with its bottom not quite parallel to the wiper surface so that the upper materials may be fully tensioned before wiping. As this inward movement is continued the shoe is turned to bring its bottom parallel to the surface of the fixed wiper i i so that the lasting margin as it is pulled out of the yielding closed jaws l8 and will be wiped smoothly over and pressed firmly against the insole I, see Figs. 3 and 5. It will be understood that the lasting margin of the upper in the forepart wil have been previously coated with a suitable adhesive so that the wiping and pressing action, as above explained, will result in its being securely fastened to the insole, this eiiect being, of course, facilitated by the action of the heated wiper. other side of the shoe to complete its side lasting.

The operation of lasting the forepart of a shoe with the illustrated device may be very quickly and satisfactorily accomplished by means of a few simple movements of the shoe by the operator, and yet, because of the action of the grippers, the upper will be adequately tensioned and this tensioning efiect may be varied, as desired, by a slight rocking movement of the shoe or a change in the upward pressure of the shoe against the finger $9, to suit diiferent operating conditions. Also, with the device located adjacent to, or even supported directly on, a staple side-lasting mashine, the whole side-lasting operation may con- This operation is then repeated on the veniently be performed with one handling of the shoe, the shoe being first spindled and lasted in Having described the invention, what I claim 7 as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device for use in lasting a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed wiper positioned adjacent to thegripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

2. A device for use in lasting a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on said gripper-closing means, and a wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, by an operator, to tension the upper.

3. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair or" jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

4. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a.

shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on said gripper-closing means, and a wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, by an operator, to tension the upper.

5. A device for use in lasting a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

6. A device for use in lasting a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on the gripperclosing means, and a heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, by an operator, to tension the upper.

7. A device for use in lasting a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

8, A device for use in lasting a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom' on said gripper-closing means, and a heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying the lasting margin of the upper against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper,'by an operator, to tension the upper.

9. A device for use in lasting the iorepart of a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the'upper of a shoe, and a fixed wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

10. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on said gripper-closing means, and a wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, byan operator, to tension the upper.

11. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the ipp 12; A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on said gripper-closing means, and a wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, by an operator, to tension the upper.

13. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for closing the gripper on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

14. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair. of jaws, means for closing the gripper on the lasting margin of the upper of ashoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on said gripper-closing means, and

a heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, by an operator, to tension the upper.

15. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe, and a fixed heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper to tension the upper by pulling it out of the gripper.

16. A device for use in lasting the forepart of a shoe with adhesive having, in combination, a gripper comprising a pair of jaws, means for 'yieldingly closing the jaws on the lasting margin of the upper of a shoe in response to pressure of the shoe bottom on said gripper-closing means, and a heated wiper positioned adjacent to the gripper for laying that portion of the .lasting margin of the upper extending substantially from the ball line to the tip line against the shoe bottom as the shoe is moved away from the gripper, by an operator, to tension the upper.

LLOYD G. MILLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,063,193 Pym Dec. 8, 1936 2,238,244 Brostrom Apr. 15, 1941 

